The Three Point Stance: Purdue (0-0) vs. Indiana State (0-0)

The Boilers kick off their 2024 season against the Sycamores of Indiana St. who struggled to a 1-11 season in 2023.

The Purdue Boilermakers kickoff their 2024 season in what many hope will be a show of force against an FCS program that is led by Curt Mallory, the son of former Indiana Hoosier’s coaching legend Bill Mallory. Purdue Head Coach Ryan Walters is in his second season following a 4-8 season that wasn’t disappointing but was slightly underwhelming. The Boilers look to provide a boost of confidence heading into one of the hardest schedules in the country that features four of the top eight teams from most preseason rankings.

The offense for the Boilers are led by Texas Longhorns transfer Hudson Card, one of the more surprising transfer portal grabs last season. The former big time recruit had a very up and down season that was highlighted by an injury that forced him out against Northwestern but appeared to take a step forward at the end of the season as Purdue neared being healthy on the offense line alongside him. That game against a quality Indiana Hoosiers team saw him go 21-34 for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns along with 1 carries for 85 yards and 1 touchdown.

The defense is led by Dillon Thieneman, one of the best overall players on either side of the ball in the country. The freshman All American is a linebacker sized free safety who has the speed and athletic ability to play sideline to sideline, evidenced by his six interceptions and 106 total tackles. The defense also is hopeful that some transfers and big name freshman can improve upon a good defense that struggled giving up big plays and getting off the field on 3rd down.

Players to Watch:

Hudson Card | QB | Transfer Senior-Texas Longhorns | No Stats Available

As said above, Card is going to be the steering wheel and the engine for a Boilermaker offense that needs to be more dynamic and explosive if it wants any hope to get to bowl eligibility. In the final game against Indiana, Card looked like the player the staff expected him to be with his dynamic play making ability on full display. He escaped the pocket, extended plays, and was a threat in the running game. Paired with a solid backfield, high level receiver talent, and a healthy and deeper offensive line, Card should put up good numbers this year.

Jahmal Edrine | WR | Transfer Junior-Florida Atlantic | No Stats Available

Edrine was the receiver the staff thought would be the playmaker to help Card make the offense go. When he went down with a knee injury, the staff was concerned about that position group. However, his inability to play may have ended up being a benefit to Purdue as he was able to spend a year getting adjusted to what OC Graham Harrell wants to do. The 6’3, 215lb receiver oozes with ability and has the skills to intrigue NFL scouts.

Dillon Thieneman | Safety | Sophomore | No Stats Available

This one doesn’t need much introduction. The freshman safety was one of the nation’s best players no matter position and that was rewarded with All American status. The sophomore roams the defensive backfield like a hawk and should again prevent big plays from occurring in both the run and passing game. Thieneman is adding punt returner to his plate and getting the ball in the hands of what may be the best overall athlete in the entire conference isn’t a bad thing.

Tarrion Grant | Cornerback | Freshman | No Stats Available

The gem of the 2024 class, Grant is benefitting from some others at the position getting knicked up ahead of the season opener. That’s not to say Grant isn’t good enough to have grabbed major snaps on his own but Nyland Green being unable to go benefits Grant the most. This might be the first time in a very, very long time, Purdue has more than two options at cornerback that are more than capable.

Indiana State Players to Watch:

To be honest, outside of Omarion Dixon who is from local high school William Henry Harrison High School (a former student of mine), I don’t have any sort of good read on this team. There will be some guys that pop off the page and don’t be surprised if Purdue doesn’t take a real opportunity to look at these guys for a potential transfer up in the off season.

Three Point Stance

Point 1: Card Needs Help

Last year it was a struggle for the playmaking Card to get things going as his offensive line was hampered with injuries, his starting running back got a case of the fumbles, and his wide receivers just couldn’t get any separation outside of Deion Burks. With Burks off to Oklahoma, Purdue retooled the offense around offensive lineman and young, playmaking receivers. Those guys need to use this game as an opportunity to gain the trust of a quarterback who, with the right pieces around him, can go out and win games with his moxy and ability to make things happen.

Card has a lot of Robert Marve and that wouldn’t be a bad thing for Purdue to have this season. Don’t forget, Marve threw for almost 1,800 yards on two bad legs and with no playmakers his senior season while leading Purdue to a bowl game in Danny Hope’s last season.

Point 2: Mockobee, O Mockobee…Where For Art Thou Mockobee?

Man, last year was largely a disaster for a player who many thought would take a giant step forward in his development after a surprising rise in his first full season. Mockobee looked the part of a big play threat running back any time he had the ball in his hands two seasons ago, but suddenly became a liability last season with numerous fumbles. He needs to return to form and be better to help provide a release of pressure off Card in the passing game. He gets some help from quality running back transfer Reggie Love III but this is Mock’s show and he needs to show it.

Point 3: Where is the Pass Rush?

Purdue lost what may end up being a top 10 NFL draft talent when Nic Scourton jumped back home to Aggieland. Who steps up in his absence? Will Heldt seems to be the guy to get the first crack at it but fellow Carmel standpoint Jireh Ojata might be the guy who makes a bigger splash. The transfer from D3 Franklin College had NFL scouts driving south of Indy last year to take a peak and for good reason. The 6’3 and 250lb player was a late developer and has the potential to wreck some havoc on the Sycamores. Purdue is going to need someone to step up and those two NEED to get into the backfield.

Extra Point: The Punting Game Can’t Be Worse, Right?

Kind of weird to add this one as a major point but holy cow the punting was an adventure last season. For all the great things we heard about Jack Ansell as a punter, it just never translated to the games with shanks and poor kicks occurring every game. Purdue is dipping into the Aussie bloodlines again but this time with proven commodity Keelan Crimmins who is in West Lafayette following his time at Mississippi State. With an average of 40.9 yards last season on 49 punts, he is just a bit over Ansell’s average so that’s a concern. Lots of games are won and lost in the field position battle and Purdue can confidently say that they have lost games because of the kicking game all too often.

What to Expect:

Purdue should and NEEDS to have this game be a blowout. Purdue is a 33.5 point favorite and that should be a minimum expectation for a team that is utterly overwhelmed at every position. If the starters aren’t being pulled in the early portion of the second half, a difficult season will start off with a disappointing game that the Boilers may not have time to recover from. This is a time to get those young guys that need to step up valuable time on the field ahead of big games against Notre Dame and Oregon State.

Prediction:

Again, this shouldn’t be close and Walters seems like one who doesn’t like to take his foot off the gas when he has the chance. Card should be able to find his receivers and tight ends open frequently and getting them into space to make plays for some long scores. Edrine will likely show what the offense was missing with him last year while the offensive line, led by the return of Gus Hartwig, should bully and push around a smaller defensive line.

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Defensively, Purdue will likely give up some points and may give up some big plays. That’s expected in the first game when so many new faces are playing in the defensive backfield and linebacker. This shouldn’t be a game where Purdue gives up more than 17 and if they do, that’s cause for concern.

Purdue: 48
Indiana State: 13